An older man today said something along the lines of "I know this may sound sexist and I probably shouldn't say it, but she [Palin] was acting irresponsibly by having a child when she was so old... She should have known about the chances of having a baby with Down Syndrome."

Because her decision to 1: have a baby at 44, and 2: keep her baby is totally something with which to judge her politically. I didn't say anything at the time, mostly because it was the first time I met the man, but he's a student at my school so I'm sure I'll see him again. I'm just kicking myself for not cutting him off when he said "This'll make me sound sexist and I probably shouldn't say it..."

Yeah, sometimes catching yourself too late to act in those situations can be difficult to live with (at least for me). Unfortunately, you will probably have numerous occasions on which to act differently.

Maddening comment in this vein from a recent student paper:"This might sound racial, but I dont like people of color, especially black people." Uh, the word is RACIST, not racial, and, yup, sure does sound racist.

This. Also, people who think they can say whatever they want (HEY BABY NICE ASSSSS!) and then claim it's okay, because "it was a joke". No, it wasn't a joke. Jokes are meant to make people laugh, not make them lose their lunch.